crumplezone wrote:L&Bs also at 12.49 or with VEP for 14.99, bit of a trollface if you bought early
Not really, as buying it "early" meant I was able to get a 4CIG for a fiver and have been enjoying it for the last month and a bit Swings and roundabouts really, always knew there was a chance it would be heavily discounted in the future at the time of buying
Suppose so, but either way it in the trolley to buy later when servers are less full, knew the steam sale was only a few weeks away anyway hence holding off, since the routes had abit of favourable feedback might aswell get it in the sale, might even get AP's new scenario pack to go along side, which would still be cheaper than buying the full pack in normal times
Dunno if anyone else has this issue. When I edit a scenario I make sure I "unlock" the route, so I can edit the scenario again at a later time. However the route seems to lock itself again, meaning I cannot edit my scenarios. A tad annoying!
Fincra5 wrote:Dunno if anyone else has this issue. When I edit a scenario I make sure I "unlock" the route, so I can edit the scenario again at a later time. However the route seems to lock itself again, meaning I cannot edit my scenarios. A tad annoying!Cheers.
Personally I haven't had that problem - unlocked once on release and worked/edited on the route almost every day since.
Have you got your folders/files set to read only?
Well after purchasing yesterday I've had a trundle along the route in the 337. Anyway first and formost I hadn't bought the route even with positive feedback since I'm not a local person to the area nore was 3rd rail particularly up there on the interest meter, but the 337 and the route somewhat grew on me overtime so when it popped up with 50% off yesterday that turned out to be the deciding factor.
My intial forays into the route weren't to bad, starting off with the short scenario which was more like a very quick tutorial to unlock the other scenarios. First hiccup I hit was here and that was down to the lights of the rolling stock which mentioned earlier in this thread are shadow casting, turning off mine worked but doesn't stop the AI from buggering up the FPS, a quick hop out and switching off shadows entirely solved this, but still I wish RSC would not put shadow casting on lights at all.
Anyway, to the actual route, a nice short trip into Brighton, lots of detail and decent amount of custom assets in use, track is the new kind to so that was nice to see. No real noticable drop in performance which was nice to see and rolling into the station was pretty outstanding as far as station vistas go. After this intial short scenario hopped into the 40min one which has you going out of Victoria, again no noticable FPS hits or performance chugs which was pretty good considering how densely packed the trackwork aswell as the buildings assets are around the area.
My impression from Victoria end can be summed up in a few words:
Super Elevation, WEEEEEEEEEEEE.
Yes I think L&B takes the reward home for most super elevation usage for any route thus far. It is quite fun to the eye to see the tilt on the 337s as they go into these curves, especially when the speed limit on some of the areas were 60mph, abit cringe worthy and can say I don't think I'd be able to travel to route in real life if its as pronounced as that in super elevation. Not to say its bad, makes for some interesting eye candy and its good to see assets are lined up well with the super elevation to.
Clapham Junction is pretty funky to look at, I didn't see any performance drain, but that might be because there was a gazillion amount of AI traffic moving around, but with all that track and assets around its pretty good and its one heck of a sight to see considering it had been said in the past that alot of route developers didn't want ot even go near the junction.
The 337, hm, what do I say about this, well its a fantastic plastic unit which isn't always my cup of tea but oddly enough I quite like it, maybe its the slightly similar resemblence to past designs like the 150,156 and 158 which make me tolerate it more than the other plastic units. Its fairly simple to drive which is kinda what I expected out of a EMU of this type, its not overly brimming with features either, but it was nice to see the computer display light up on the left while in stations and windows being openable.
Sound wise, it doesn't seem to especially bad, I have watched a few videos prior and heard a few and it does sound similar at lower speeds, maybe the higher speed doesn't quite sounds the same but its not to overly annoying or sound bad, maybe the horn could be alittle more pronounced. Incidentally the only negative I feel in the sound department is the track joint sounds, while it sounds ok crossing over pointwork it sounds abit odd when it clunks every 30-40secs, I would also note that the front end of the sound loop seems to not have been faded entirely so it sounds abrupt when cutting into it.
Anyway I give the route a 8.5/10, its got good performance, a healthy plateu of scenarios to play with, correct rolling stock for the routes location with suitable liveries and its detailed to a high standard which doesn't all look like default kuju core assets.
It doesn't get a higher score because of the things mentioned above in sounds and the lights causing performance hit even though its been well documented they do cause issues. Also to note is odd graphical flickers with some assets, noticable so the signposts which have there frontal facings bleeding through to the other side and it looks abit odd.
If anyone was on the fench like I was, the steam sale is certainly a good opportunity to pick up this route at a good price and I would also recommend rather than the 12.49 but the 14.99 so you also get the other piece of rolling stock.
Fincra5 wrote:Dunno if anyone else has this issue. When I edit a scenario I make sure I "unlock" the route, so I can edit the scenario again at a later time. However the route seems to lock itself again, meaning I cannot edit my scenarios. A tad annoying!Cheers.
Personally I haven't had that problem - unlocked once on release and worked/edited on the route almost every day since.
Have you got your folders/files set to read only?
Not sure, other routes normally unlock no problem.
Fincra5 wrote:Dunno if anyone else has this issue. When I edit a scenario I make sure I "unlock" the route, so I can edit the scenario again at a later time. However the route seems to lock itself again, meaning I cannot edit my scenarios. A tad annoying!Cheers.
Personally I haven't had that problem - unlocked once on release and worked/edited on the route almost every day since.
Have you got your folders/files set to read only?
Not sure, other routes normally unlock no problem.
Nice review Crumpz! I agree with most of what you said and I had a similar outlook towards the route, not being a fan of the region, the route or the EMU traction.
It is a good route but to be honest I've only used it once or twice as I've rapidly got fed up of the 377. The sounds on the thing really grate after a while, especially when running at high-speed, total lack of running sounds and only the dreadful "Teenwolf bouncing basketball" track joint sound to pierce the silence!
I've been waiting for some loco-hauled scenarios to appear or some featuring older EMU's like the 4cig. None have appeared yet that don't require a significant amount of other payware EMU's etc. Richard Armstrongs new scenario pack looks like the ticket but on the negative side, to run the AP pack it means buying more stock that I wouldn't ordinarily buy such as the 4Vep and 455.
Even with the sale, it will cost me £17 just to be able to run London to Brighton without the 377. £5 for the AP scenario pack, £6 for the 4Vep and £6 for the 455.
You can see how costs rapidly spiral out of control in this game. Note to self - must stop buying routes that I have no interest in!!
Thanks Crumplezone, you made my mind up (although I'll have to wait two weeks to run it!!! )
For disclosure, I am affiliated with a third party developer however, I do not know anything about any future releases unless I'm working on them and even then, I'd be breaking years worth of built up trust to say anything about it
pjt1974 wrote:Thanks Crumplezone, you made my mind up (although I'll have to wait two weeks to run it!!! )
You'll be able to run it now, Phil trust me . (I seem to remember our systems are quite similar)
Unfortunately Mark, my pc is now dying a slow death, RW isn't an option until the new pc is built
For disclosure, I am affiliated with a third party developer however, I do not know anything about any future releases unless I'm working on them and even then, I'd be breaking years worth of built up trust to say anything about it
With the present 50% sale it's well worth investing in the older rolling stock and purchasing the Armstrong Powerhouse scenario pack - fantastic AI traffic which really adds to the route. Also the AP sound pack for the 421 and 423 make a big difference. However the first AP scenario crashed with an AI collision when I had got all the way from Brighton to Clapham, annoying! I think this route is one of the best on offer and sets the standard bar - apart from the passengers levetating and disappearing into the platfom at some stations!
DCBickersteth wrote: With the present 50% sale it's well worth investing in the older rolling stock and purchasing the Armstrong Powerhouse scenario pack - fantastic AI traffic which really adds to the route. Also the AP sound pack for the 421 and 423 make a big difference. However the first AP scenario crashed with an AI collision when I had got all the way from Brighton to Clapham, annoying! I think this route is one of the best on offer and sets the standard bar - apart from the passengers levetating and disappearing into the platfom at some stations!
DCB
Indeed the AP scenario pack makes this route finally enjoyable, some older EMU's with a bit of character and even a loco-hauled run! Without AP then zipping between stations, back and forward in the default souless 377 rapidly became the dullest experience in the game to date, despite the very good graphics and visuals.
I think this route will either be a hit or a miss depending entirely on what floats your boat. If you're a fan of 3rd rail commuter, station to station blasting in EMU's then you will be in heaven with this route. If on the other hand, you prefer loco routes, freight runs, changing scenery or the feeling of experiencing driving part of a larger route then LtoB will rapidly fade onto the backburner as has happened to me. It really is just point to point, backwards and forwards between A to B or should I say L to B!
Another downside is that I find between Croydon and London that this route cripples my pc even more than WCMLN!
jimmyshand wrote:
I think this route will either be a hit or a miss depending entirely on what floats your boat. If you're a fan of 3rd rail commuter, station to station blasting in EMU's then you will be in heaven with this route. If on the other hand, you prefer loco routes, freight runs, changing scenery or the feeling of experiencing driving part of a larger route then LtoB will rapidly fade onto the backburner as has happened to me. It really is just point to point, backwards and forwards between A to B or should I say L to B!
Another downside is that I find between Croydon and London that this route cripples my pc even more than WCMLN!
Yeah, unfortunately the London end is very high detail, however, away of Clapham Jct, my route is very runnable and I've grown to like this layout since I first acquired it.
Hmmm, I might respectfully disagree about it just being point to point, backwards and forwards, I run several freights and Steam Specials on it, from on end to the other, light engine movements and drop off goods / PW ballast consists starting at Stewarts Lane, taking in Selhurst, Three Bridges, Redhill, Purley, and Salfords going south, northbound, I ran from Hove dropping off at Haywards Heath, Croydon and signed off at Streatham Depot. Docks and Port traffic from Newhaven and Portsmouth bound for Kent up to Clapham Jct for crew changes. We now have Richard Scott's Brighton Belle rolling stock and the new liveried Class 47 and MK2 coach reskins for the Gatwick Express. If you let yer imagination run wild, there's loads to do on this route, it's not all EMU running and we can use our stable of locomotives, steam, diesel and 3rd rail for various movements from the 1970's up to the present day.
Swings and roundabouts really, always knew there was a chance it would be heavily discounted in the future at the time of buying
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